The U.S. military says the remains of a Marine from New York City who was killed in World War II have been identified and are being returned for burial on Long Island.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Friday that 19-year-old Pfc. John F. Prince was among the 35 Marines whose remains were found last year on Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, scene of a three-day battle November 1943.
The agency says its scientists used dental records and other evidence to identify Prince's remains, which were found along with others by Florida-based History Flight buried beneath a parking lot.
Prince served in the 2nd Marine Division. He was among more than 1,000 American servicemen killed while assaulting the Japanese-held island.
A wake is being held Thursday evening at the Thomas F. Dalton Funeral Home in Floral Park, and mass will be held the following morning at St. Gregory the Great Church in Bellerose.
He'll be buried June 17 in Calverton, New York.
